Rotary internal combustion engine

ABSTRACT

A rotary internal combustion engine which includes a cylindrical housing, a pair of rotors, each having a sinuous race in one face thereof, both rotors being mounted on a common shaft and adapted to rotate with respect to the housing, and compression heads slidably mounted in the housing and adapted to engage each rotor sinuous race to form combustion chambers. The rotors and compression heads are so mechanically interrelated that sequential firing of fuel in the respective combustion chambers is effected to provide a smoothly operating engine.

[ Nov. 6, 1973 2,466,622 4/1949 Tucker et al. 418/219 2,593,457 4/1952 Jastrzebski..........................418/219 ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE [76] Inventor:

George H. Kahre, Shreveport, La. Primary Examiner c. L Husar {22] Filed: Dec. 13, 1971 AttorneyJohn M. Harrison Appl. No.: 207,129

57 ABSTRACT A rotary internal combustion engine which includes a cylindrical housing, a pair of rotors, each having a sinuous race in one face thereof, both rotors being mounted .on a common shaft and adapted to rotate with respect to the housing, and compression heads slidably mounted in the housing and adapted to engage each rotor sinuous race to form combustion chambers. The rotors and compression heads are so mechanically in- [56] "References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS l .wh

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.m w few I fimm D M d 5 mm s aw .m 6 6C mm mcm umne db efln t .1- aut l a e r. nme on. tco 99999 lllll 22222 88888 lllll 44444 nnnu nflmwm m au 0 0% SCH-K] 830 95 223 34 99999 I111] 08 46 78766 60758 64347 86457 lll PAIENIEUNIW ems SHEET 10F 2 v 1 ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE BACKGROUND or THE INVENTION 1. Field of the.lnvention This invention relates to anew and improved internal combustion engine, and more specifically, to an internal combustion engine of the rotary design. The engine is specifically designed to eliminate cylinders, pistons, connecting rods,'crankshaft, timing gears or chains, camshaft, push rods, rocker arms, valves, and valve springs, all of which are necessary in conventional reciprocating engines. In a preferred embodiment, the rotary engine. is designed to deliver four power impulses per revolution, each of which drives the rotors one-fourth .of one revolution, in a continuous thrust, and is built to provide an extremely favorable horsepower per weight ratio with a displacement which is far smaller than conventional engines presently in commercial use.

, 2. Description of the Prior Art Heretofore, many varying designs have been proposed with regard] to internal combustion engines, and as of late, internal combustion engines of the rotary type. Typical of the patents which have recently issued regarding rotary internal combustion engines are U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,406, to K. Welm, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,244,157,, to M. Tanferna, et al., the former patent disclosing an eccentrically rotating piston enclosed 'in a cylindrical chamber, and the latter, an engine having an elliptically shaped rotor within a cylindrical housing.

Many difficulties have been encountered with regard to engines of this type, chief among which are gas leakages at high temperatures and pressures brought about by high contact pressures between sliding parts not capable of being cooled or lubricated sufficiently. Other problems have become. apparent in such areas as intake and exhaust design and insufficient valving techniques.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide arrimproved internal combustion engine and particularly, an improved engine of the rotarytype which may be effectively cooled and sealed against high pressure and is, therefore, more efficient than its predecessors. Another object of the invention is to provide an inter nal combustion engine which has no conventional cylinders, pistons, connecting rods, crankshaft, timing gears or chain, camshaft, push rods, rocker arms, valves or valve springs.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a novel rotary internal combustion engine which can be fitted with conventional engine service items such as a water pump, oil pan or sump, carburator or fuel injection device, intake and exhaust manifolds, oil pump, and the like, with minimum or no service item design alterations.

Still another object of the invention is to provide'a rotary internal combustion engine which can be designed to utilize substantially any number of spark plugs, and which in a preferred embodiment is designed to utilize four such spark plugs servicing two combustion chambers and to deliver four power impulses per revolution, each of which propels the rotors one-fourth of one revolution.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an internal combustion engine'of the rotary type which has a minimum number of moving parts and which is therefore essentially maintenance free.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a rotary engine which can be quickly and easily disassembled, repaired and reassembled when maintenance is needed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rotary internal combustion engine which can be adapted to operate on a variety of fuels such as gasoline, bottled gas or other fuel suited for conventional engines.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a rotary internal combustion engine which is characterized by a longer engine life and less maintenance than conventional engines due to the presence of fewer moving parts and corresponding reduction of friction.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a rotary engine, the displacement of which is far smaller, and the friction of which is reduced to a small fraction of that present in the conventional cylinder-type reciprocating internal combustion .engine.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an engine which is characterized by a greatly reducedweight per horsepower ratio as compared to conventional engines.

Another object of this invention is to provide a rotary internal combustion engine which is characterized by only two bearings and balancing of the internal parts to provide a smoother running engine in which friction losses are minimized.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an internal combustion engine of the rotary design which is physically small in size, and yet which will develop horsepower levels comparable to conventional engines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION These and other objects of the invention are provided in a rotary internal combustion engine which, in a preferred embodiment, includes the following parts:

1. A housing which is preferably cylindrical in shape;

2. A shaft rotatably mounted in the housing;

3. Two rotors carried by the shaft, each of the rotors having a sinuous race; V

4. A plurality of compression headsslidably mounted in spaced relationshipin the housing and adapted to engage the sinuous races in the rotors to form combustion chambers and to' reciprocate in the housing when the rotors are rotated; and

5. Means for supplying fuel to the combustion chambers, means for igniting the fuel at the proper time, and means for subsequently exhausting the spent fuel from these chambers. I

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be better understood in view of the following description presented with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 of the drawing is a perspective, exploded view of the rotary internal combustion engine of this inven tion;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view along axis A-A -of the motor illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one of the compression heads of the motor shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the compression head illustrated in FIG. 3 taken along axis BB; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the compression head arrangement of a single rotor drive embodiment of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawing, and FIG. 1 in particular, motor 1 is disclosed, which includes engine housing 8, motor shaft 9, upon which are mounted rotors 2 and 3 with sinuous races 24 (illustrated with respect to rotor 2), compression heads 4, 5, 6 and 7, engine housing end plates 10 and 11, bearing cover plates 12 and 13, water jackets l7 and spark plugs 23C, 23D, 23E and 23F. Motor shaft 9 rotates with respect to engine housing 8 by means of shaft bearings 14 and 15, contained within bearing housings 14A. Housing fuel intake and exhaust ports are illustrated by reference numerals 19 and 20, respectively. Rotor fuel intake and exhaust ports are likewise represented by reference numerals 19A and 20A, respectively.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the relationship between compression heads 4, 5, 6 and 7, and sinuous race 24 of rotor 2 is illustrated. Sinuous race 24 is characterized by alternating lobes 24a and depressions 24b formed in the circuitous path of the race, with a total of two lobes and two depressions in a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated. Rotor 3 is identical in design to rotor 2, and the relationship between these rotors is discussed hereinafter. Compression heads 4, 5, 6 and 7 are slidably displaced in slots 4A, 5A, 6A and 7A, respectively, located within engine housing 8 in the positions indicated in FIG. 1. The respective ends of these compression heads are positioned so as to engage races 24 of rotors 2 and 3 to effect reciprocation of the heads as the rotors turn with motor shaft 9, as hereinafter described.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be appreciated that a dual rotor system is utilized as illustrated in FIG. 1, with rotors 2 and 3 secured, for example, by means of key 9A, to motor shaft 9, and with sinuous races 24 facing, but positioned out of phase" with respect to each other. By the term out of phase" is meant that each respective lobe 240 on the sinuous race 24 of rotor 2 is affixed directly opposite a depression 24b in the race of opposing rotor 3. Thus, the ends of compression heads 4, 5, 6 and 7 in contact with sinuous races 24 of rotors 2 and 3 are caused to traverse lobes 24a and depressions 24b of rotors 2 and 3 in out of phase" relationship as the rotors rotate, and the compression heads are accordingly caused to reciprocate in slots 4A, 5A, 6A and 7A located in engine housing 8.

The mechanical relationship between compression heads 4, 5, 6 and 7 and the sinuous races 24 of rotors 2 and 3 results in formation of combustion chambers in engine housing 8, as illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawing. The edges 24C of rotors 2 and 3 ride in groove 8A located in engine housing 8, and compression heads 4 and 5 form one combustion chamber (serviced by spark plug 23F), in combination with interior housing plate 8C and that portion of sinuous race 24 of rotor 3 (not illustrated) positioned between compression heads 4 and 5. Another combustion chamber is serviced by spark plug 23D and isformed between compression heads 6 and 7, housing plate 8D, and that portion of sinuous race 24 of rotor 3 positioned between compression heads 6 and 7. Similar combustion chambers are formed between compression heads 4 and 5 (serviced by spark plug 23E) and compression heads 6 and 7 (serviced by spark plug 23C), respectively, and

corresponding portions of rotor 2 and the interior housing plate located between these compression heads on the opposite side of the engine.

Spark plugs 23C, 23D, 23E and 23F are provided for removable insertion in engine housing 8, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, and communicate with the respective combustion chambers via spark plug apertures 23 to enable firing of fuel in the chambers. Under these circumstances, the respective intake, compression, power, and exhaust strokes proceed as follows: Housing intake and exhaust ports 19 and 20, respectively, are designed preferably in the form of slots, as illustrated, and are adapted to register with segmented slots provided in rotors 2 and 3, and designated by reference numerals 19A [intake ports] and 20A [exhaust ports]. As the engine starter (not illustrated) is activated, motor shaft 9 and rotors 2 and 3 affixed thereto are caused to rotate in a clockwise direction and fuel is forced into sequentially registering housing and rotor intake ports 19 and 19A of engine housing 8 and, for purposes of illustration, rotor 2, respectively. Accordingly, for the purpose of discussing firing sequence, the initial intake stroke will be assumed to take place in the combustion chamber serviced by spark plug 23C. Thus, referring again to FIG. 1 of the drawings, if spark plug 23C is assumed to fire first, the firing sequence is 23C first, 23D next, 23E third, and 23F last.

Tracing the firing sequence in more detail, subsequent rotation of rotors 2 and 3 after the initial registering of housing and rotor intake ports 19 and 19A, respectively, effects compression in the combustion chamber serviced by spark plug 23C as the ends of compression heads 6 and 7 traverse a depression 248 and begin traversing a lobe 24A on sinuous race 24 in rotor 2. During compression in the combustion chamber serviced by spark plug 23C, the combustion chamber serviced by spark plug 23D receives fuel through registration of the housing intake port provided adjacent housing intake port 19 to serve spark plugs 23D and 23F and a mating rotor intake port provided in rotor 3 (not illustrated) both of which are identical to housing and rotor intake ports 19 and 19A, respectively, and are located in the same respective positions in engine housing 8 and rotor 3. After the intake stroke and during compression in this chamber, spark plug 23C fires, and the combustion chamber serviced by spark plug 23E begins the intake stroke, since the housing and rotor intake ports begin registering. As this combustion chamber receives fuel and begins the compression stroke, the combustion chamber serviced by plug 23C is caused to exhaust by registration of rotor exhaust port 20A and housing exhaust port 20, and spark plug 23D is simultaneously caused to fire. Subsequently, the compression stroke begins in the combustion chamber serviced by spark plug 23E while the combustion chamber serviced by spark plug 23F begins to receive fuel. Compression of the fuel follows the intake stroke in the latter chamber, with power and exhaust strokes following compression to continue engine operation. The sequence ofintake, compression, power and exhaust strokes, each of which accounts for onefourth of a rotor revolution, is set forth in tabular form in the following chart:

1 (23D) 2 (23E) 3 (23F) 4 (23C) intake exhaust power compression compression intake exhaust power power compression intake exhaust exhaust power compression intake It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that rapid rotation of rotors 2 and 3 inside engine housing 8 may tend to create a vacuum in the respective combustion chambers due to the traversal of compression heads 4, 5, 6 and 7 on sinuous races 24, which vacuum will tend to impede smooth operation of the engine. Consequently, a small aperture or apertures 28 illustrated with respect to rotor 2 in FIG. 1, is preferably provided in a lobe 24a in rotors 2 and 3 which aperture communicates with registering intake ports 19 and 19A. In this manner, pressure equalization may occur in the combustion chambers to prevent vacuum buildup. It will be further appreciated that while housing intake and exhaust ports 19 and 20 are of dissimilar lengths, rotor intake and exhaust ports 19A and 20A are of corresponding dissimular lengths to provide substantially equal intake and exhaust time sequences.

It should be noted that the power stroke always occurs on a common lobe-depression area in each rotor, while the intake and exhaust strokes are effected over the opposite lobe-depression area in the rotor. This selective firing is made necessary by the provision of a four power stroke per rotor revolution power sequence in the illustrated preferred aspect of the invention where four spark plugs and four combustion chambers are utilized. Thus, under these circumstances, firing occurs in sparkplugs 23C and 23E on a common lobedepression combination in rotor 2 and in spark plugs 23D and 23F on a similar combination in rotor 3.

{It will be appreciated that while the rotary engine of this invention is preferably characterized by a dual rotor system as outlined and illustrated above, the engine can be made to operate'efficiently using a single rotor with one or more spark plugs. If such a design is incorporated, compression heads 4, 5, 6 and 7 may be adapted to ride" on the sinuous race of a dummy rotor at the end opposite the firing rotor, to provide a single-rotor drive utilizing, for example, two spark plugs instead of four, as desired. More preferably, compression heads 4, 5, 6 and 7 may be fitted with bearings adapted to traverse a race inscribed in a lug to insure proper reciprocation of the compression heads and traversal of the firing rotor, as illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings. Referring now to FIG. 5, lug 25, mounted on motor shaft 9, is shown with race 28 inscribed therein, which race isadapted to the samesinuous configuration as sinuous race 24 of rotor 2 illustrated in FIG. 1. Compression head bearings 27 are mounted on com pression head shafts 29, which are in turn affixed to one end of each of compression heads 4, 5, 6 and 7, as illustrated, the bearings being adapted to traverse race 28 and reciprocate as the opposite ends of the compression heads traverse sinuous race 24 of rotor 2. It will be appreciated that compression head bearings 27 must be aligned with-the center line of compression heads 4, 5,

6 and 7 to eliminate vibrations and wobble of the cornpression heads during reciprocation.

It should be further appreciated that the rotor or rotors of this invention may be designed to be driven by substantially any number of spark plug firings per revolution, with a practical limitation of eight such firings. For example, under circumstances where a single rotor is utilized as in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the drive rotor may be designed to incorporate a sinuous race having a single lobe and depressionin the face thereof, and the motor may utilize a single set of compression heads. Such a design would. enable the rotor to be driven by one spark plug and would provide a small, light engine for applications such as lawnmowers, outboard motors and the like. Similar design alterations may be effected to increase engine power up to eight such spark plugs designed to fire an engine having the same design as illustrated and heretofore described with reference to dual rotor operation. For example, referring again to FIG. 1 of the drawings, two additional spark plugs can be mounted on the top and bottom of engine housing 8, respectively, and the engine fitted with eight combustion chambers and adapted to fire eight times per revolution instead of four, thereby increasing power output. It will be recognized that these adaptations are merely exemplary of the versatility of the engine set forth herein, and that additional power alterations may be effected in a like manner without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

It will further be appreciated that such conventional equipment as the starter, radiator, oil pump, water pump, carburator, and the like, can be made compatible with the rotary engine of this invention with a minimum of basic design changes in such equipment. Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, water jackets l7 and oil supply and return ducts 21 and 22, respectively, are illustrated, the latter of which supply oil to compression seals 16. Some of these compression seals are located in the interior of engine housing 8, as illustrated in FIG. 2,'and serve to prevent loss of compression around the interfaces between compression heads 4, 5, 6 and 7 and other parts of the engine, such as sinuous race 24 of rotors 2 and 3. Compression seals 16 are also provided to prevent undesirable gas leakage between the wall of engine housing 8 and rotors 2 and 3 during registration of housing and rotor intake and exhaust ports 19, 19A, and 20 and 20A, respectively. These seals may be spring loaded, sealed under hydraulic pressure, or both, to present maximum efficiency in reducing pressure losses; alternatively other sealing techniques known to those skilled in the art may be utilized.

A preferred compression seal arrangement for compression heads 4, 5, 6 and 7 is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawing, FIG. 4 representing a cross-sectional view along axis B-B of the compression head shown in FIG. 3. Compression seals 16 are preferably spring loaded and mounted across the entire longitudinal length of compression head 4, as well as across the width thereof. An additional seal is provided in compression head lip 18 to facilitate sealing between the segmented openings in rotor intake and exhaust ports 19A and 20A located in rotors 2 and 3.

In order to further facilitate lubrication of compression seals16, the interior of engine housing 8 may be drilled or otherwise provided with oil access to the entire length of compression seals 16. Oil supply ducts 21 and 22 illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawing provide oil access to the seal area and smaller apertures may be utilized as needed to insure adequate lubrication of the entire seal area. Compression heads 4, 5, 6 and 7 may also be drilled to provide lubrication in compression head seals 16.

Mounting of motor shaft 9 in engine housing 8 is preferably'accomplished by means of bearings 14 and 15 enclosed in bearing housings 14A closed by bearing cover plates 12 and 13, as illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings. For ease of maintenance, these cover plates are preferably bolted to engine housing 8 or to housing end plates 10 and 11, as desired. Housing end plates 10 and 11 may also be designed to be removable by means of bolts or screws to permit ready access to the interior of motor 1 for maintenance purposes.

Although conventional carburation can be utilized with certain carburator modifications in the invention, it is preferred to use fuel injection in order to provide a more even distribution of fuel in the combustion chambers of the engine. Furthermore, exhaust and intake manifolds may be designed as needed, either utilizing a single manifold which is partitioned to form a divider-between the intake and exhaust portions, or separate manifolds, as deemed necessary.

It will be appreciated that the interior of the engine, including compression heads 4, 5, 6 and 7, and compression seals 16- may be effectively cooled by water flowing through water jackets 17, as illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawings. It will be further appreciated that depressions 24b in rotors 2 and 3 are also effectively cooled by the action of the water, since these depressions are adjacent the interior area of the housing served by water jackets 17. On the other hand, lobes 24a on rotors 2 and 3 are preferably cooled by application of air entering ducts 26 and exiting ducts 26A machined or otherwise provided in the rotors adjacent lobes 24a, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Communicating apertures 268, preferably fitted with communicating grooves 26C, are also provided in engine housing end plates 10 and 11 in order to provide a continuous stream of air to cool lobes 24a. Rotation of rotors 2 and 3 during engine operation causes the air to flow through apertures 26B into air entering ducts 26, out of exiting ducts 26A, and back through apertures 26B in the cooling operation. It will be appreciated that exiting ducts 26A are preferably located at a point further removed from main motor shaft 9 than air entering ducts 26 since this location aids our flow through the ducts due to the action of centrifugal force.

Although a conventional distributor system may be utilized to operate the engine of this invention, it is preferred to use dual distributors under preferred circumstances where the engine is powered by four or more spark plugs, since engine rotation may be characterized by speeds of up to about 15,000 revolutions per minute, or greater. A single, eight cylinder conventional distributor operating at proportionate speeds might have a tendency to float," or to otherwise malfunction at this engine operational speed. Accordingly, under circumstances where four spark plugs are utilized in the engine, it is preferred to use two conventional distributors, each of which fires a set of two spark plugs on alternate contact points. Such distributors are preferably eight cylinder in design, which presents a total of 16 cylinders for firing four spark plugs, and each distributor rotor makes one complete revolution for every four revolutions of rotors 2 and 3 in engine 1. Alternatively, a single, eight cylinder distributor may be utilized, the

rotor of which will travel one revolution for every two revolutions of rotors 2 and 3.

An additional innovation which may be necessary as a result of obtaining high rotor speeds are lock nuts positioned on motor shaft 9 (not illustrated) and adapted to bias rotors 2 and 3 on motor shaft 9. These lock nuts should be equipped with lock washers, if necessary, in order to provide the necessary bias. Furthermore, it is also necessary to provide lock nuts and washers to lock bearings 14 onto shaft 9 in order to prevent slippage. Other innovations may be utilized in this invention to secure various parts in relationship to each other, according to the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A rotary internal a. an engine housing fitted with oil ducts and water jackets for lubrication and cooling;

b. a shaft mounted in rotatable relationship in said housing;

c. a pair of rotors having facing sinuous races arranged in out of phase relationship carried by said shaft and having a sinuous race provided in one face thereof, said rotor being further equipped with cooling ducts.

d. a plurality of compression heads slidably mounted in spaced relationship in said engine housing, the ends of said compression heads being adapted to engage said sinuous race and form combustion chambers in said engine housing;

e. fuel supply apertures positioned essentially perpendicular to said shaft and communicating with said combustion chambers for supplying fuel and air thereto;

f. firing means communicating with said combustion chambers for igniting said fuel and air each of said firing means being adapted to fire a separate one of said combustion chambers; and

g. exhaust apertures positioned essentially perpendicular to said shaft for removing spent fuel from said combustion chambers.

2. The engine of claim 1 wherein said firing means is a spark plug.

3. The engine of claim 1 wherein:

a. said firing means is a spark plug; and

b. said fuel supply apertures and said exhaust apertures are registering apertures in said engine housing and said at least one rotor, said apertures adapted to receive and exhaust fuel upon sequential registration.

4. The engine of claim 1 wherein said compression heads are lubricated blades having compression seals inserted therein.

5. The engine of claim 4 wherein said plurality of compression heads is four compression heads.

6. The engine of claim 1 wherein said firing means is four spark plugs.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent 3,769 ,945 Dated November 6 1973 In t George H. Kahre It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Claim l, Column 8, line 15, after "inter nal"., addz' -combustion engine comprising:-.

Signed and sealed this 3rd day of December 1974 (SEAL) Attest:

McCOY Mr GIBSON JR. C. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents FORM PO-1050 (10-69) v i l 1 v USCOMM-DC 60376-P69- i UTS. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE I969 0-356-334 

1. A rotary internal a. an engine housing fitted with oil ducts and water jackets for lubrication and cooling; b. a shaft mounted in rotatable relationship in said housing; c. a pair of rotors having facing sinuous races arranged in out of phase relationship carried by said shaft and having a sinuous race provided in one face thereof, said rotor being further equipped with cooling ducts. d. a plurality of compression heads slidably mounted in spaced relationship in said engine housing, the ends of said compression heads being adapted to engage said sinuous race and form combustion chambers in said engine housing; e. fuel supply apertures positioned essentially perpendicular to said shaft and communicating with said combustion chambers for supplying fuel and air thereto; f. firing means communicating with said combustion chambers for igniting said fuel and air each of said firing means being adapted to fire a separate one of said combustion chambers; and g. exhaust apertures positioned essentially perpendicular to said shaft for removing spent fuel from said combustion chambers.
 2. The engine of claim 1 wherein said firing means is a spark plug.
 3. The engine of claim 1 wherein: a. said firing means is a spark plug; and b. said fuel supply apertures and said exhaust apertures are registering apertures in said engine housing and said at least one rotor, said apertures adapted to receive and exhaust fuel upon sequential registration.
 4. The engine of claim 1 wherein said compression heads are lubricated blades having compression seals inserted therein.
 5. The engine of claim 4 wherein said plurality of compression heads is four compression heads.
 6. The engine of claim 1 wherein said firing means is four spark plugs. 